Cracking (up) the DNA

I've noticed that there are more things that are passed down through the DNA that one would not normally think of. I don't think there are any Nobel prizes to be found in studying the genes responsible for these things, but they are interesting to me.

Barefeet---
This one is manifested in three generations of my family (that I know about). My Dad, myself, and my son Joe are all barefooted as often as possible. I personally have been known to leave shoes all over my house, and am currently under penalty if I fail to put them away. All three of us kick our shoes off the instant we walk in the house, and could go literally for days without wearing them if given the opportunity.

Sense of direction---

It's amazing that my pioneer ancestors made it West. They must have been following someone who knew the way, and not only that, they never had to make any right turns or leave at a certain time. I struggled my whole childhood with being unable to tell time on a clock, to tell left and right, and to remember how to set a table. As an adult, I finally was able to master these skills, but it is still a challenge. I know most people can intuitively tell left and right, but I still have to take a moment to think about it. I chuckled when the subject came up at a family gathering and I found out that several of my female cousins suffer from the same quirk! Not only that, those who did not grow up in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains also had trouble with directions (N, S, E, W).

Sense of humor--

Speaking of the pioneer ancestors, I love learning stories about my forebears. However, I am tickled the most when I hear details that reveal my forebears' sense of humor. I got a kick out of reading a sketch of a pioneer family arriving in Utah and being sent to settle in Lindon, Utah. They had sold all their worldly goods, traveled for months through many trials, and finally arrived at the place the prophet had called them to establish Zion. The night they arrived, they camped out near the main road, not knowing that this property belonged to what would be their new neighbor. Upon waking, they found the rancher stopped nearby waiting to chew them out for camping on his land. One of the sons remarked saracastically, "So, this is Zion."

I am constantly trying to keep my sarcastic comments to myself, but it is a challenge when such wit and humor are charging through my veins on an hourly basis. It makes me giggle to see it expressed in my kids, like when Henry laughs and refuses to say Daddy, even though Marty wants nothing more in the world.